1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an anisotropic conductive compound or material and a method of curing thereof.
2. Description of Related Art
Anisotropic conductive compounds are utilized to form conductive paths between pairs of aligned contacts, such as a contact on an integrated circuit or integrated circuit package and a contact of a printed circuit board. A typical anisotropic conductive compound includes conductive particles suspended in a binder. Such anisotropic conductive compound can be interposed in an uncured state between the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package and the substrate whereafter the anisotropic conductive compound can be cured to form conductive paths between contacts on the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package and the substrate while, at the same time, bonding the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package to the substrate.
Heretofore, anisotropic conductive compounds of the type described above were formed into a film which was interposed between the integrated circuit or integrated package and the substrate whereupon, with the application of pressure between the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package and the substrate in the presence of a curing heat, the conductive paths between aligned contacts of the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package and substrate, and the bonding of the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package to the substrate occurs.
A problem with prior art anisotropic conductive compounds is that they require the use of pressure and curing heat in order to form the conductive paths at the same time the bond is formed between the integrated circuit or integrated circuit package and the substrate. Another problem is that the film form of the prior art anisotropic conductive compounds requires special machinery in order to utilize the film in a production environment. Still, another problem is that the prior art anisotropic conductive compounds cannot effectively be utilized with integrated circuits, integrated circuit packages or substrates having adjacent contacts with edge-to-edge spacings less than about 300 μm.
It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to overcome the above problems and others by providing an improved anisotropic conductive compound and a method of curing thereof. Still other objects will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description.